Collating machines are frequently used in line with other paper handling equipment as a means of assembling a plurality of sheets of paper into a particular, desired packet or collation prior to further processing, which may include additional collating, folding and inserting. In a typical paper handling sequence involving an initial output consisting of a plurality of sheets of paper, to be later combined with subsequent output from other sheet feeding devices situated downstream, the initial output is fed from a stack, or a web supply, seriatim to the collating machine, which collates the output into the desired packets, citijet in the same or reverse order in which the sheets are fed to tile collator. Each packet may then be folded, stitched or subsequently combined with other output From document feeding devices located downstream thereof and ultimately inserted into a mailing envelope.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,640,506 and 4,805,891 disclose collating machines incorporating respectively removable and moveable reverse order stacking devices for stacking sheets of paper being fed seriatim thereto from a singulating feeder in the same or reverse order as said sheets appear in said singulating feeder.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,769 discloses a dual collating machine having upper and lower collating structures for alternately stacking sheets into collations. The dual collating machine includes a diverting means for diverting sheets conveyed along a single paper path into the upper or lower collating structure, and a funnel means for returning the collations to a single paper path.
Heretofore, collating machines, such as the aforementioned machines, have been limited to forming a collation of sheets having the same size. Generally, collating machines are configured to achieve a lead edge justification of the sheets and prevent skewing to the sheets in the collation. The aforementioned collating machines rely on its side guides, transport system and stops to deskew the sheets of the collation and achieve lead edge justification. Heretofore, collating machines have been used to form collations of same size documents. If different size documents were collated, the side guides would not control the skewing of the smaller documents being conveyed.
There is now an interest in forming collations of documents of more than one size and nesting the smaller documents within the fold of the larger documents. For example, it is desired that a full size insurance statement (or collation of statements) be folded around a smaller size check that is to be mailed with the statement. The typical collating machines and folders do not easily provide for such special processing because of the problem of controlling the smaller document.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement to collating machines that will allow the collating machines to form collations of different size documents.